Just curious, what does everyone do with their dogs when you aren't home. Do they go with you a lot? Stay home mostly?

My dogs are seldom left home alone. I do accounting for several small businesses and the dogs are welcome at about half of the clients. They are well behaved (even puppy Riley!) and sleep or visit with clients (and usually mooch their lunches :frustrated: ). If I am going somewhere to run errands etc. I will bring them and they hang out in the car (except in extreme weather). Riley usually goes to doggy daycare one day a week. Luckily both dogs are quite laid back about travelling and also frequently go away with us on holidays (camping, visit friends/family etc).

angeldogs

February 12th, 2007, 05:18 AM

Jag stay's home in a crate.unless it's just me and him.because of my pickup.with the kids not enough room and i had it before jag was given to us. but i would take him everywhere if there was room.

Scott_B

February 12th, 2007, 06:26 AM

Rosco is crated when we're not home. We'll take him if we go into the city, or to the store or anything like that. But if I know he'd have to be alone in the car for any amount of time, I'll leave him home.

Dogastrophe

February 12th, 2007, 06:58 AM

Our's are crated during the day when we are at work and generally go with us when we go on trips. On the odd occassion that they do not go with us, they go to a kennel free boarding facility.

Hunter's_owner

February 12th, 2007, 07:26 AM

Cassie is crated when she is alone, but Hunter is seldom left alone. If he is it is for a short time, less than an hour. If he is to be left for any more than that the "Grand-Parents" take him.

We are lucky to live close to both sets of parents. He has never done any damage, but he stresses himself out, he barks and whines so much when he is alone that when we return he is panting like I have never seen a dog pant before:o

Catzig

February 12th, 2007, 08:46 AM

I've been home all day with Tia (& the kitties) since we brought her home last May. I am supposed to start a new job at the beginning of March, I have been trying to get her used to me being away from the house ... so far we're up to about 3 hours max. She is not crated, but she is restricted to the kitchen/hallway area. So far she seems quite happy for me to go out because she gets a "doggie diversion" - ie. a stuffed kong or something.

The new job is part-time for now and less than 5 km from home, so hopefully the extra hour and a bit will not be too difficult. We will still have our walk/run in the morning which seems to tire her out enough to keep us both happy.

jessi76

February 12th, 2007, 08:47 AM

my dog is crated for about 4 hrs in the morning, then my fiance comes home at lunch and takes him back to work w/ him for the afternoon. We try to take Tucker everywhere we can, short errands around town, or to visit friends & family. If he is left home though, he's crated.

breeze

February 12th, 2007, 08:59 AM

nakita and bree are left on the main floor the basement and the up stairs are off limits until i know bree won't eat anythig . I work from home so they are not left that long for about 3-4 hours tops. so far so good :)

Winston

February 12th, 2007, 09:05 AM

Winston is not crated but left alone...I crate trained him up until he was 3 years old...Then he mellowed out and learned to be a good boy while Mom & Dad were away! I use baby gates to keep him out of the living room so he doesn't go up on the couch! He is so great! I only have to lean the gate across the doorway and he knows he cant go in that room! He is 110 lbs so knocking it down would not be an issue for him!

He knows the schedule! He looks at me funny if I stay home from work! Its like he is saying "your not supposed to be here!"...

:)

Lukka'sma

February 12th, 2007, 09:24 AM

Lukka goes in her crate for about 1 1/2 hours two times a week. My hubby and I work opposite shifts so that she doesn't get left alone too long. I try and work weedends more often than weekdays so she is spared the crate altogether. Through the night she doesn't get crated.
If we go visiting she usually goes with us.

mafiaprincess

February 12th, 2007, 09:27 AM

If I go anywhere for a night or two.. Cider comes along or I don't go. Later this month will be the first vacation I won't take her on. But, she'd be neglected with me skiing all day for 3 days.

When I go to work, if someone will be home at some point we've graduated to her being loose in my bedroom for 4 hours. If everyone is working, she's crated for the work day.

technodoll

February 12th, 2007, 09:53 AM

both beanies are alone in the appartment 9am to 6pm during weekdays, neither crated - they're amazing kids and only touch their toys. vacations and outings are planned around them, if they can't come with us then we don't go. they've never been kenneled, and dakotah only spent two nights away from us in 3 years, maika zero. it just feels too weird when they're not there! :p

JanM

February 12th, 2007, 10:16 AM

Bobby and Amber go with me whenever possible - to the store, doing errands, that sort of thing - but only when the weather, the errands, etc. allow. In good weather I will leave them in the back yard if I have to go out for a longer period, in bad weather they have the run of the house. The weather plays a big part on whether they stay home or come with me. Being retired I'm not away regularly so that's a good thing.

Cram

February 12th, 2007, 11:30 AM

Helix is crated during the day for two 4 hour segments (before and after lunch) and at night too, but he's only a puppy (3.5 months). He's pretty much house trained (he rings bells on the door when he wants to go out :cloud9:) . We dedicate all of our home time after work in the evenings and our weekends to him (playing, exercising, training). We'd love to let him have freedom at night but we have 2 kitties that don't like him yet and we're afraid to let them interact unsupervised- our bedroom is their safe zone where they sleep and can run too when they are stressed and Helix sleeps in his crate beside us. Right now he's learning boundaries and what he is and isn't allowed to do, so it would be simply irresponsible for us to let him have the run of the house while we're at work. Our living room is as puppy proof as we can make it, but I'm sure there are still things he can chew that could hurt him and the only other place we could reasonably put him would be the bathroom, but he dislikes being locked in there more than being put in his crate. When he's old enough and we can trust him to not destroy the house or fight with the kitties, he won't be crated anymore (at night or during the day). For us, crating is the best possible method to properly train our pup and keep him safe during the day and at night.

Kristin7

February 12th, 2007, 11:40 AM

My dog Guinness is usually confined in the kitchen w/ a baby gate. Ok, it's a very tall gate as he jumps over the average sized ones. I'm gone about 9 hr a day, 5 days a week. Most of the time he is pretty good, but has occasionally chewed something or had an accident, esp if he is not feeling well (ate something that did not agree). I have left him free in the house for short periods of time and no problems. He goes to doggy daycare sometimes, like 1x in a 1-2 week period right now. This tires him out for a couple days usually. If I leave him at night to go out during the work week, he does get anxious. Too much time alone, probably, but being single and living alone, I do the best I can, and he's got cats to keep him company.

As for taking him w/ me, yes, but only if I am going on a trip to see my family so far. He gets carsick and does not like car travel, or he could go with me on errands around town, etc. Still hoping he'll grow out of that...:fingerscr

Rottielover

February 12th, 2007, 11:43 AM

Harley is sprawled out on his sofa, not mine....yes he has his own couch. Home at lunch, run about, then back to sleeping on his couch.

Dracko

February 12th, 2007, 12:30 PM

Dracko has the run of the house if he isn't with me. I do take him with me anytime I go to do errands or work in town (I'm in sales so I make calls on accounts). Sometimes he even gets to come with me when I have to go away overnight or gone too long to be able to leave him home w/o a potty break.

He destroys nothing. When I get home the cats and he are always happy to see me and NOTHING is out of place. I'd say the cats get in to way more than he does. When he was a puppy (he is 6 now) I crated him for a few months at a max of 3 hour stints as he went through a 'getting in to everything' stage, but the crate taught him time out when I left and I've never had to use it since.

I agree with your sentiment, Golden Girls. One of my co-workers crates her dogs all freakin' day long, everyday. I mean, 6, 8 hours. How boring can that be for a dog???

technodoll

February 12th, 2007, 12:37 PM

One of my co-workers crates her dogs all freakin' day long, everyday. I mean, 6, 8 hours. How boring can that be for a dog???

up until 2 weeks ago, we crated maika during weekdays (9am to 6pm) to protect her from herself, and to protect the house... she loved to destroy plants and she ate our diningroom chairs one by one, chewed electrical wires... :yell: she's 16 months old now and finally mature enough to be trusted loose in the house without human supervision. it took a few days for her to get used to the new routine, when we got ready to leave she'd go lay down in her crate and fall asleep with the door open. :D

phoenix

February 12th, 2007, 12:38 PM

My dogs have been pretty lucky... I work strange hours and my DH works pretty regular hours (7 to 5) ... If we are both gone all day, they go to my parent's farm for the day. Otherwise they stay home for at the most 3 hours at a time. Sam is pretty great in the house; Maia occasionally messes if left too long. They do on occasion rip something apart, but generally that is something that I've left around that isn't normally out. They are still very young though. I don't believe in crating either. On nice spring and fall days they can stay in the yard (I feel I live in a very safe area and the fence is tall) but winter and summer they stay inside. I used baby gates to keep them in the kitchen when they were younger but I find them much calmer when not restricted (although they are never allowed upstairs).

OntarioGreys

February 12th, 2007, 01:28 PM

I work fulltime outside the home and cannot take the dogs with me to work, have a multiple dog household so they are not alone and have the companionship of one another. I do crate until a dog is trustworthy is the house, right now only Winnie is crated when I am away for longer periods he is a 13 lb dog in a 30 x 48 X 36 crate, hopefully in time he will be fine with full freedom, but as of now he is a chewer and will quite happily chew on an electrical cord , and with my multiple pack to dangerous for me to leave kongs or bones out without supervision and he is not willing to hold it for extended periods unless crated, when I got Maya(greyhound) she started off in the crate for 2 weeks then an x-pen was used, later baby gated her in a room, till she earned full freedom of the house. I found some dogs need a slow transition to having freedom, otherwise they fail.

I also had a dog that needed to be crated as it reduced his anxiety when I was not home, if given freedom he became extremely destructive.

There are some dogs that need a crate and some that don't. Therefore I do not judge those that use a crate, I have had enough dogs of varying peronalities/anxiety levels to know not all can be treated the same, and what is good for dog does not necessarily work for the next. The use of crates has spared many dogs from ending up in a pound and being euthansized.

And a heck of a lot mores dogs would die in pounds early if working people were not adopting them, life may not be perfect and idealistic but it sure beats euthanizing thousand of healthy young animals, simply because we can not provide stay at home families for them where they never have to be crated

papillonmama

February 12th, 2007, 01:38 PM

I am lucky, I am home a lot taking caare of the kiddies. But, eventually i have to buy food, and even though I tried, the grocer doesn't like the dogs. :rolleyes: Darned health department! J/K

They stay home, if I can't take them inside with me, then they have to stay home. If we go away on vacation they also stay home but we get a friend to come over and play with them. Or if neccesary I will leave them with my step dad.

However, we are very boring people, so we haven't had to worry about vacations in a loooong time.:o

Hunter's_owner

February 12th, 2007, 01:49 PM

There are some dogs that need a crate and some that don't. Therefore I do not judge those that use a crate, I have had enough dogs of varying peronalities/anxiety levels to know not all can be treated the same, and what is good for dog does not necessarily work for the next. The use of crates has spared many dogs from ending up in a pound and being euthansized.

This makes more sense to me OG than making accusations and judgements. I use a crate for Cassie like I said, but she is in there no more than 2 hours at a time.:shrug:
For those of us that use a crate for longer periods, that should be okay too.

Someone can be a huge animal lover and a great parent to a pet, but may choose to crate their dog when they are not home. This doesn't mean that they love their animal any less than those who don't crate.

Sometimes instead of assuming that people are worried about what the dog will do to the house, it can be looked at as what the house can do to the dog. For a chewer, an open house can be a dangerous thing, and I am very lucky to have never had a chewer.

breeze

February 12th, 2007, 03:18 PM

Some dogs even when trained they prefer thier crates, It gives them seciurity, peaceful times, even away from us people when they want (it does happen) there is nothing wrong with that. one of my friends trianed his dog that to go lie down in the crate with the door ( it's the dogs home inside the house like a dog house outside) opened when people come over not all his friends like dogs so this way they can come over and there is no problem.

White Wolf

February 12th, 2007, 03:45 PM

Please stay on topic and refrain from hijacking. The question is: What do you do with the dogs?

Golden Girls

February 12th, 2007, 04:43 PM

Just curious, what does everyone do with their dogs when you aren't home :shrug: They stay home?

Prin

February 12th, 2007, 04:53 PM

My dogs are free in the house. I don't bring them with me often because Boo is such a pain in the car, but if we go on vacation, they come (ifff :D).

When I fostered the little puppies, they were put in a small room when I was gone because I had no idea what they might have found. Even the most puppy proof house still has some dangerous chewables in it.

sissani

February 12th, 2007, 08:10 PM

I work at a kennel that has Doggie Daycare, so while I'm at work my kids come with me and stay in a spare kennel and go out with the other dogs when daycare is in session.

Its a lifesaver - they're pooped at the end of the day just like me!

When I have to go somewhere else though, I go with either the bathroom for longer trips, or the crate for short errands.

Frenchy

February 12th, 2007, 08:16 PM

My guys and fosters are loose in the house. If I get a foster who's not clean they stay in a small bedroom that's real safe for them.

technodoll

February 12th, 2007, 08:19 PM

dang!! looks like i jinxed myself :sad: came home today to find maika had snacked on a tube of hand-cream i had left on the coffee table, as well as shredded most of a very nice wicker basket i had gotten for christmas and was storing cd's in, on the floor in a corner. oh well... she's apparently not mature enough to be loose in the appartment during the day, after all :mad: back in the crate she goes when we leave for work... waaaaaaaaaah!

Hunter's_owner

February 12th, 2007, 08:23 PM

Oh sorry Techno, that is too bad:sad:

Prin

February 12th, 2007, 08:26 PM

Aww, :grouphug: I think you have to train Dakotah to watch her better.:D :o

heidiho

February 12th, 2007, 08:33 PM

Wow i really thought most of the dogs here had free reign of the house,i honestly thought most here would be against crating for long periods of time.

technodoll

February 12th, 2007, 08:37 PM

i really really don't WANT to crate her for such a long period but... we have no choice... Maika likes to "taste" electrical cables so no way am i taking any chances... what if she got into something poisonous or dangerous or :eek: Have to protect my baby against herself. i'm so disappointed, things were going so well :sad:

Prin

February 12th, 2007, 08:39 PM

Yeah, we were lucky because Boo only ever went for paper things... :o

Frenchy

February 12th, 2007, 08:39 PM

Heidiho, I don't crate cuz I hate it. But I did get a lots of things destroyed in the house :p I'm lucky enough to have a room doggy safe , without any carpets now thanks to Nelly :laughing:

Frenchy

February 12th, 2007, 08:41 PM

i'm so disappointed, things were going so well :sad:

TD, my sister crated her younger golden for 2 years, the dog got to be loose in the house without any accidents for 2 months, and started the destruction all over again and is now crated again :shrug: I know sometimes you just don't have a choice.

heidiho

February 12th, 2007, 08:43 PM

Oh i know i learned that lesson when i had damien and thought wow he is so smart he can be left alone in apt for 5 hours at 5 months old,lots of damage to my apt from that..I hated crating him for so long also that is why i tried to let him have apt.Gotta do what you gotta do,could be alot worse for a dog,..

AliSam

February 12th, 2007, 08:45 PM

Sam has free reign now. He has proven he can be trusted. :fingerscr He used to be crated but he really did hate it.

hazelrunpack

February 12th, 2007, 09:18 PM

We plan vacations that are dog-friendly...and they have to be very dog friendly when you're traveling with 6 :D So, we don't go very often...

I'm home all day, almost every day. We have one dog with a 2-hour bladder--leaving her for any longer than that can result in an unpleasant homecoming, so she gets crated if for some odd reason they'll be alone for more than 2 hours. The rest have behaved (so far :fingerscr) given free run of the house. They're all over the age of 3 now...and for setters, that means the onset of SSMS (Sudden Setter Maturity Syndrome...the age of couch-potato-ness).

Usually, though, the dogs are home with one of us or on an errand with one of us and being alone in the house isn't an issue... :shrug: Staying home was the cost we accepted when we decided to grace our lives with the Pack. :cloud9:

Quins-mum

February 12th, 2007, 09:28 PM

Quin ususally comes to work with me, when I do leave him at home he has the run of the house and I leave the back door open for him...(Yeah i know what some of your resopnses are to that)!or I get his "girfriend" a golden lab to come over and entertain him.(they are outside when she is here).
Usually when i get home, I find him fast asleep on my bed.
I've never heard of anyone crating a pet, I guess its fairly common in the States?:confused:

Mocha's mum

February 12th, 2007, 10:04 PM

Mocha has full reign of the house when we're at work. One of us comes home at lunch and takes him for a walk. I make him a little doggy bed in the living room by the window so he can listen for the squeaky truck (the Pathfinder needs a lube job!!).

Kris and I are both in the military, so there are times when we are gone for a few days at a time. I have two friends (both with dogs that Mocha has 'play dates' with regularly) that will take him when Kris and I are away. Lucky for me, they are very good with Mocha's back condition, and oddly enough, neither one has stairs in their home......weird....I just thought of that now...:laughing:

H.P.

February 12th, 2007, 10:46 PM

Jo has the run of the house, Sydney stays in her kennel when I am at work, it is funny, I leave the house at 7:30, but if I am running late, at 7:30 she still gets in her kennel and waits for me to come with the cookie and close the door. When I travel, Sydney goes with me, but Jo stays home and a friend checks on her, she does not like the car or new places.

tarasmom

February 12th, 2007, 10:57 PM

Tara goes with me everywhere unles, like many others, its for a grocery trip that will take more than a few minutes, then I leave her at home with one of my kids( all adults) or worse case she if no one is home she is in her kennel. I only used her kennel for training but its her safe place and she will often go in if she wants to be alone, everyone has been instructed to never bother her in there. I had to go away for 3 days 2 weeks ago and she was home with the kids, and I suffered like mad without her, and she didnt eat much all weekend, so will be avoiding that scenerio again thats for sure ( thank
goodness hotel visits are very rare for us) I am soooo looking forward to the spring so Tara and I can get back on the bike again. She hasn't rode in months and she was a real small baby then, I was worried about her reaction this coming spring, so my hubby took her for a ride in the shop the other day( just back and forth) and she sat there looking all disapointed that it was all she was going to get, darn we cant wait for spirng lol!
Cant wait to get picks of her on her Harley!!( was mine think it will soon be hers)

OntarioGreys

February 13th, 2007, 09:11 AM

Sorry TD,
My dogs get free roam not because they are perfect but because I have provided them with a space they can succeed in by removing certain temptations

any tube of cream left out would have been a goner(Maya or Winnie), another thing was I could not have plants in their area, Sunny if he has a tummy ache will resort to munching on them, he is also the food stealer, any papers left out Maya will shred, Nikki is the destuffer( so any stuffed animals I treasure I can't leave in her reach), so as long as I don't leave the tempting stuff in their reach everything is fine, sometimes instead going back to crating you have to look at what things will tempt a dog to chew or destroy and move them to a safe place, the dogs here have access to the bedrooms, hall and livingroom I put a babygate to divide off the diningroom and kitchen and put things most likely to tempt the dogs there, any chemical stuff is in the bathroom and kitchen which is offlimits, though child locks I will be buying today as Winnie is showing an ability to open cupboards, I have lost a few things along the way to learn their limits, anything with batteries I won't even give them a chance with, so all remotes go way up out of their reach, before I leave the house I give the dogs their cookies and do the scan of each room to check if I left anything out I should not have, Winnie right now is left out for brief outings less than 2 hours to give him small amounts of freedom and for me to learn if anything else needs moving, with him I do have to unplug and roll up any electrical cords that are not hidden behind furniture that he can get at. The more successes Winnie has, eventually I wll allow him out for longer periods

I have only had a couple dogs that did not require any dog proofing, the majority needed a bit of things moved and only one never graduated from the crate, but he was the one that chewed up drywall, baseboards and door molding, ripped up and shredded flooring and furniture the minute I left the house, and there was no way I could move things to help create success for him.

Some dogs become worse because they sense their owners upset anxiety when they arrive home and see a mess, so the next time the owner leaves they anxious and worried, to calm themselves they try to find something to chew on, which of course has the owner more upset the next time and it becomes a vicious circle leading to the dog being crated, it is why with my dogs I like to start with the crate, gradually expanding their roam area removing stuff that they may damage so as to help create success so I am not coming home frustrated to see a mess, and therefore not causing them anxiety. Each time I increase their space, I expect it will cause a bit of anxiety because I have changed to rules they have become accustomed to, so to have them relax with the new rules they need to be set up to have repeated success, if something does go wrong eg chewed up a basket like Maika did, I take it as my mistake for not recognizing the possibility and clean up when the dog is not present to see plus make no fuss over it and remove any similiar items so as to create success for the next time, the more successes they have the less anxious they become with your absences and the calmer they become, some items may always be see as a fun toy, eg Maya will likely forever enjoy shredding paper, or if something new and unusual gets left out, it will need to be explored by the ones with the curious minds.

I hope this will help you with Maika

technodoll

February 13th, 2007, 10:03 AM

thank you OG :)

maika doesn't mind her crate at all, fortunately... we'll try again in a month to see if she starts chewing things up again. I think with this crappy cold weather there is a definite lack of exercise and mental stimulation, i know she gets bored and that's when she gets into trouble :rolleyes:

poor puppy's gonna have a rough day, crated from 9am to 6:30pm... i have a chiro appointment after work and will only be home late. hubby never gets home before 7 or 8pm... and then it's bitterly cold, last night i lasted 18 minutes outside with the dogs (i timed myself!), it's so RETARDED! :yell: i hate this weather! and now a big snow storm with arctic blowing winds on the way for tomorrow... great. just great.

i hope my little peanut forgives me :o

chico2

February 13th, 2007, 10:06 AM

I agree with OG,I don't have a dog now,but we did at one time have 3(not at the same time!)in those days,crates for dogs were not even heard of,you had to puppy proof your home,just like with a small child.
My most destructo dog was a Shepard/Chow mix,but only as a young dog,he improved with training,then I had a Cocker and a SheltiX.
Baileys owners learned their lesson,after the kids had left 3lbs of Valentine Chocolate within Baileys reach,luckily I noticed she was ill when I went to take her out.
Bailey is baby-gated in the kitchen when alone at home and she's fine.
I think crates can be great when the pups are really small,just for their own safety,but otherwise I think you have to take the punches and adjust your home to the dog.
Sorry about beautiful Maika,I hope she can redeem herself:fingerscr

technodoll

February 13th, 2007, 10:13 AM

dog-proofing your house is easy... when you HAVE a house :o

our small appartment is "open concept" living & dining room, where we spend most of our time, no possibililty to gate anything. our bedroom is crowded and too small for a dog to hang out in all day (full of chewing temptations too), our kitchen and bathroom are the size of hankerchiefs, hardly big enough to turn in... we do our best to secure the place when we leave but first and foremost, humans live there (and often make mistakes such as forgetting to put things away!) and if the dogs can't respect our "stuff", then they will get crated, for their protection and for the sake of our nerves... NOT as punishment, but to ensure harmony and a stress-free environment for everyone :)

Golden Girls

February 13th, 2007, 03:51 PM

Please stay on topic and refrain from hijacking. The question is: What do you do with the dogs? I'll assume you were referring to me seeing my posts were the only one removed for going off topic and rude :confused: when sharing my thoughts on training over caging. Let's see how long say this post last. Good post OG and I'll stop at that :angel:

Here's what mine do when I'm not at home, completely broken down, caged and mis-understood :D

theplainsjane

February 13th, 2007, 04:10 PM

If there is anything I have learned since becoming a dog owner, it is to place far less value on "things" than I did before I had dogs. Mine will steal anything off the counter, chew the toes out of socks they find in the laundry pile (as well as other unmentionables) and knock over the trash.

My labs and my golden are not crated when I am gone, but I do not leave my own pit bull or my foster pit bull unattended with the other dogs. Right now, my living situation requires that they be crated because I do not have the space to give them their own "rooms." I am in the process of buying a house and hopefully that will change. When I am home, they are welcome to be with the other dogs when supervised and we have a great time romping in the woods and playing in our fenced back yard. They are both very good girls, but it would be irresponsible of me to leave them alone with the other dogs.

I think the biggest key to successful "crating" is to make sure the dogs get plenty of exercise so that when you leave for work, they do, indeed, rest. Crating is not my favorite thing in the world, but the truth of the matter is that my 16 month old pit bull is destructive and has a thing for electronics, so to keep her safe, she must be crated.

I still forget and leave things out or come home to something that has been destroyed, but the house is fairly well dog proofed at this point. I just wish it was bigger! Soon!

Golden Girls

February 13th, 2007, 04:15 PM

Your post is very well written and you seem like a good responsible and educated pet owner. Such a pleasure to read :thumbs up

heidiho

February 13th, 2007, 04:24 PM

Well each dog is different and you have to do what is best for your living situation,i believe everyone here loves their pet just as much as the other,whether one has to crate or another person does not,all dogs are not the same.But by no means is it animal crulety or anything ,it would stink to have to crate for a long period of time,but as long as the pet is excersied before and after well i think they will be ok..

poodletalk

February 13th, 2007, 04:27 PM

When my dog was at the puppy stage of chewing, I brought her over to my parents house every moring at 6:00 a.m. Over the Champlain Bridge before the traffic, drove back over the bridge to get ready for work. Then I picked her up at night. I did this for six months!

This was perfect situation, my Mom is home during the day, she trained Maggie for me and Maggie socialized with their two dogs.

Since she's older and stopped chewing, she stays at my place alone. She has the run of the house except for my bedroom. I have a dog walker who comes in the afternoon and takes her for an hour walk.

At least once or twice a month, I still bring her over to my parents house during the day, so she can have company and have fun with her canine cousins. :p

Golden Girls

February 13th, 2007, 04:43 PM

O the things we do for our pets :cloud9: their like our kids :)

pacemaker

February 13th, 2007, 05:04 PM

Im retired, so my girl has me most of the time. Which has been great for both of us, she is now seven months old, so I get to see all the changes that are going on. Typical day,we go for our 1st walk at 7:15am to the park (any later & she tells me off), we do about about a 2 kay walk, she chases the birds & gets to check for any new "Wee Mails" that may have been left for her.Then we come home for a play & maybe a little training. When I do go out, its no longer than an hour most times. She just lays on the lounge & waits for me to get home. I usually give her a treat when I go, so she associates my leaving as a good thing. Most of the time she helps me around the house, although making the bed can take a long time, as she loves to be on the bed when I shake down the sheets, & she makes sure that the naughty vacuum cleaner does not get out of line. She then has a nap for a while, but her favourite thing is to wait near the front door for my neighbour to walk by with his retired female Greyhound, "Indigo Girl" whom she absolutely adores.
We then have another walk in the afternoon, either at the park again, or along the foreshore, if its a hot day, we take take her to the local doggie beach, where she gets into trouble for trying to steal the other dogs sticks or balls. While Im on the computer (like now), she lays down behind me with her head drapped over the legs. Lately she has developed this habit of telling me I've been on line to long by stealing something (pen or paper) and running off with it, so I have to chase her.